Screen shot, Terri Gross’s notes

Small details

I have a file of “thank-you” notes. One of my favorites is an old one from a five-year-old who is now graduating from high school: “Dear Rev. Cindy, thank you for teaching me that Caspian is Jesus,” complete with a drawing of me (signified by a cross) and a lion (a stick figure lion looks like a dog, but with a mane).

What he doesn’t know but will, as he ages, is that the thank-you note continues to have a ripple effect for the recipient, many years after it is received. It may have taken him 15 minutes (because writing was a new skill, but it still speaks volumes of love to me.

The small details matter. The five minutes makes a difference. My lesson from this is that I need to take the five minutes to do the caring thing.